Education

The education sector in the UAE has evolved into a dynamic and lucrative market, driven by the government's Vision 2021 initiative to develop a first-rate education system. This has created a fertile ground for both local and international education providers. The private K-12 sector has seen a proliferation of international schools catering to the UAE's diverse expatriate and local population. Higher education has also flourished, with branches of prestigious attracting students regionally and globally. The adoption of edtech is rising and with the UAE's focus on fostering a knowledge-based economy, demand has increased for vocational training and professional development. With the government's commitment to investment in the sector and a growing emphasis on STEM education, entrepreneurship, and AI, the UAE's education sector offers robust prospects for investors, education providers, and ancillary services.

Hadef & Partners advise on a range of critical issues within the sector, including compliance with local education laws, drafting and negotiating contracts with education management companies, and handling intellectual property matters for curriculum providers. As the sector embraces digital transformation, the firm has also been at the forefront of advising edtech startups on data protection, e-learning regulations, and investment structuring. Additionally, Hadef & Partners' employment law expertise is crucial for educational institutions managing a diverse, often international, workforce, ensuring compliance with UAE labor laws while attracting and retaining top talent.

• Advised on the first PPP project in the Middle East for an educational facility, Sorbonne University, Abu Dhabi.
• Advising a leading education program provider, working with their internal procurement team to provide legal and regulatory advice on a wide range of RFPs and commercial collaboration contracts, explicitly focusing on contracting with UAE government entities.
• Advising a leading education institution on terminating its after-school activity provider for poor service provision.
• Advising an online education provider on the legal and regulatory aspects of providing online content to individuals in the UAE and managing the acquisition of legal advice covering the proposed provision in KSA.
• Advising a well-known UAE-based school on its internal and external confidentiality documentation and drafting a suite of non-disclosure documents for various uses.
• Advised the Dubai branch of an International school with regards to termination of some members of the staff engaged strike action which is considered illegal in UAE.
• Advised a Dubai based education group in relation to their language courses and obligations under the Consumer Protection Law related to cancellation of pre purchased orders.
• Advised an Abu Dhabi University on agreements and memoranda of understanding with other academic institutions (regional and international) for academic cooperation including nursery facilities. Advised on contracts for the acquisition of goods and services, software implementation agreements and service level support agreements.
• Advising a private equity firm on the funding of Wollongong University.
• Acted for lenders as lead developer through an SPV with Abu Dhabi Educational Council on a PPP for Zayed University.
• Advised New York University Abu Dhabi on local corporate structuring and regulatory issues in respect of its presence in Abu Dhabi.
• Advised a large Middle East private education provider on a major corporate restructuring to the group.